The ESP LTD V-401 electric guitar features set-thru construction with a "V" shaped mahogany body. A maple neck has a thin ESP "U" neck contour and a rosewood fingerboard that is dressed with 24 extra jumbo frets and arrow inlays. Other features on this ESP LTD guitar include, Grover tuners, white fingerboard binding, and black nickel hardware.

The ESP LTD V-401 is loaded with EMG-81 Active humbuckers. These blistering pickups have ceramic magnets and close aperture coils. They produce a tone with detailed intensity, incredible amounts of high-end cut, and fluid sustain. Controls include two volumes, one tone, and a 3-way selector switch. Guitar case sold separately.

I got mine used in condition "2" opened the box and was pleasantly surprised, zero actual damage only a few spots of worn finish. She plays like a dream, zero buzz even in drop c tuning. I really can't give a negative to this guitar other than wishing it had come with an EMG 85 in the bridge, but she still sounds better than expected. Really happy with this purchase!!

I've had this guitar for a few years now and it has been my main guitar for jamming, gigging and recording. First off it looks great. One of the best looking V's on the market. It's set neck and body design make it really comfortable for playing on the higher frets. It's moderately heavy and has a sturdy feel to it. It's a good guitar especially for metal. The EMG-81's work well with rhythm and lead playing and if you're the only guitarist in your band like I am it will work well. But when it comes to cleans It would prefer to at least have an 85 in the neck. This guitar can sound good with cleans depending on your setup but the 81's sound a little thin in my opinion. Please note that this guitar is difficult to find a case for. Not even this site seems to have one available and I have searched all over the internet but to no avail. It will not fit your standard V case so be cautious. Also you're going to want to get it set up and have the intonation adjusted. Mine had a lot of fret buzz when I took it out of the box. If you need a reliable and great sounding guitar for heavy music but you're on a budget. Then definitely consider this one. The quality is really great and it's been a good guitar for me since I've had it.

I'M APRO PLAYER AND HAVE PLAYED THE ESP'S OF ALL SORTS THESE PLAYS ABOUT AS GOOD AS IT GETS FOR A MID-RANGE GUITAR.I LOVE IT ,PLAY IT ALMOST EVERYDAY,BUT I'M ENDORSED BY ANOTHER COMPANY ,SO I CAN GIVE MY OPINION.THESE ARE GREAT FOR THE PRICE ,EMG'81'S AND GROVER TUNERS,ALONG WITHA MAPLE TOP.CAN'T BEAT IT.BUY IT!!!GREAT CRAFTSMANSHIP FOR AN IMPORT!!!

I bring nothing new to the reviews as far as the sound, playability and overall impression of the guitar are concerned. It's a great axe. But concerning the size of the guitar and not finding a case for it. I bought a coffin case for it and it fits it nicely. Only problem is the coffin case is huge. But it works if you are wondering what case to get.

This is a top quality instrument. The flame maple top is beautiful. All of the hardware is top-notch grover tuners, EMG 81 pups, excelent binding on the neck and headstock. Esp doesnt seem to make a hardcase for this guitar, so you'll have to look at other cases.This is an excelent guitar that anyone would be proud to own.

Sounds great for a mid-priiced guitar. Easy to play for hours. No tuning issues. Looks beautiful- got the red. I just have to address the issues stated above. Recommend strongly to buy this guitar, but make sure you get a case for it. V's need a hard case.This is the first reasonably priced V guitar that has, in my opinion, all the necessary elements for a modern-day rock guitar. Mahogany body/ maple top, bound maple neck and headstock, all tuners on one side, active pickups, intonable TOM bridge, Grovers, String thru, set neck. Two volumes, master tone. No Floyd Rose.Three BIG problems with this big guitar- I can't hang it on my wall rack- need longer hangers, and as of this review, there is no hard case available that fits its large fins. Trust me, don't buy generics, like Musician's Gear, SKB, etc. They're all too small. As of this date, I have asked MF to order a custom one from ESP. So where does it rest after use? In the padded cardboard shipping container. It doesn't fit on a regular guitar stand, either.No Earvana nut as advertised. Looks like graphite generic. I use Graph Tech TUSQ anyway, will change. TUSQs sustain like no other. Have them on all my guitars.ESP makes well engineered instruments. In some ways, they go out of the way on detail; then they cut corners on other parts. Examples: there are mini studs for the screws to the battery compartment, so you won't wear out the wood when changing the battery. Then, they use cheap mini pots and a REALLY cheap disk capacitor for the tone. I'm replacing all that with regular sized linear tapers, and an Orange Drop .22 cap for tone. ESP 81's have a sweet sound, complex overtones on high gain, but they don't have the natural crack and high end presence that Burstbuckers in my Gibson LP Standard have, even on bypass (my screaming LP has active preamp). The SD MKTY in my Ibanez RGATQM are a bit more gutsy. You need to jack up your compressor. Also, the volume pots have to be reverse wired to decouple the pups because they have same tone pot (and circuit). Otherwise you can't blend volume pots. Finish is typically beautiful. Tunes easily, stays that way. TOM intones right-on. Has all I want. Sounds great, really fun to play. Checked out Dean, but ESP has better value- and ESP has instruments without another person's signature on it. It's my guitar, I play it, my work goes into it to get my sound, period.

If I wanted a custom V guitar I would have it built just this way. I have bought the black cherry first because it looked so much better than the black one (looks like purple) but these photos are deceiving. Black Cherry is very dark and it is very hard to see those hot flames that you can see in the photos. There was also minor finish issue on the headstock and I took this opportunity and returned it (thank you MF) for a see-thru black in exchange hoping it will be darker as well. Boy, i was right, it looks amazing. It has a beautiful blueish&amp;amp;grayish hue under the light.I wish it came with a case but I believe none of the ESP imports does, even the high end models.I am a meat and potatos type of guy so the features are more than sufficient for me. EMGs sound great as always. 2 volume and 1 master tone, I am all set. Grover tuners are great. After a all night long beating still in tuneOf course most important thing is how it plays and sounds. Being a string thru it resonates great and it is loud even when unplugged. Neck it comfortable and fast. It is built extremely well. It is not heavy but not flimsy either. Perfect balance when strapped. No neck dives.Construction is very good. set-thru construction give great upper fret access with great full mahogany body sound. Loving it...Sound is crushing but the maple top and the maple neck really helps you cut through the mix. For the price features and the quality offered is amazing.

I recently purchased this guitar from Musicians Friend and I was blown away! The guitar looks and feels amazing! Extremely light and easy to access all frets on the neck. For the most part, right out of the box the guitar was setup and ready to go. I did have to tune it, but thats no big deal. String action and pick up height was perfect. The only negative was the packaging was horrible. The guitar was wrapped in a very thin foam cover with paper stuffed on both sides in a huge rectangle box. One of the points of the V was chipped, but you can only see up close. The guitar still sounds and plays amazing. I guess thats a testament to the quality of this guitar! If you play Metal and need a new axe, buy this one now! You will not regret it! Highly Recommended!